This Tropical Plant Wants to Be Your New Gluten-Free Flour

In Hawaiian cuisine, taro root is commonly pounded into a mash and served as poi. Sticky and a little bland, the dish hasn’t exactly taken off in the lower 48. But recently, more and more producers are experimenting with taro, taking it from supporting actor to star of the show.

Originating in southern Asia, taro is an essential part of the diet in many African, Asian, and Oceanic cultures—including Hawaii, where Polynesian seafarers first planted them some 1700 years ago. The root is rich in dietary fiber and minerals like potassium, and, in powdered form, it’s a nutritious alternative to wheat flour.

In Hawaii, taro's gone from being a staple ingredient to a canvas for experimentation. Last summer, the iconic Liliha Bakery in Honolulu introduced a poi mochi doughnut. Chef Ed Kenney’s Mud Hen Water in Kaimuki does a musubi (spam nigiri popular in Hawaii), made with soy sauce-seasoned taro and without canned meat. On Maui, Whole Foods stocks soy- and wheat-free taro burger patties, and the decidedly un-greasy taro chips at KAPA Bar & Grill elevates the sweet, succulent poke that they accompany. Hawaii Star Bakery even makes an English muffin with taro flour.

And now you can give taro a try without traveling to a tropical paradise. Voyaging Foods ships a range of gluten-free baking mixes and bars made with taro. The taro pancake mix in particular turns out fluffy stacks that taste, quite simply, like childhood.

“Our Taro Cakes pancake mix is based on our Polynesian trifecta of canoe plants—sweet potato, coconut and taro,” says Voyaging Foods founder Brynn Foster. “This perfect group includes plant-based protein paired with nutrient-dense fiber and starch." Taro root and taro flour can also be found at Asian markets and online.

Taro powder does have ten times the fiber of cornstarch, so Foster recommends substituting only about quarter of flour with taro powder when cooking or baking. But because taro contains natural binding agents, it holds together without gluten-free extras like xantham gum. The subtly nutty flour can also replace cornstarch as a thickening agent in soups.

Taro may be gaining a following on the mainland, but its roots are still (quite literally) on the islands. “Taro represents the culture and people of Hawaii,” says Maria Orr, co-founder of the East Maui Taro Festival, the longest-running festival of its kind. “There’s just something about taro that makes people happy.”